A total if 499 voters attended Mashpee's Town Meeting Monday, October 20, to vote on a wastewater cluster system at Gunters Lane, a noise bylaw amendment and a dozen other warrant articles. Voters on Monday night passed all 14 articles on the warrant.

After months of debate and after several residents spoke both in favor and against the warrant article, Article 4 passed with a vote of 365 to 93. Article 4 asked voters for the approval to borrow $25,900,000 for the funding to construct a Mashpee-Wakeby wastewater treatment cluster system at 0 Gunters Lane. Mashpee qualified for 0% State Revolving Fund (SRF) financing and 25% forgiveness from the Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund for the project.

Both the Select Board and the Finance Committee recommended the article for approval by a 5-0 vote. Although the article did pass at Monday’s town meeting, it still needs a ⅔ vote to pass, which requires the passage of Ballot Question 1. The ballot question seeks a proposition 2 ½ debt exclusion to fund the project, temporarily giving property taxes a slight bump to get the full green light. Mashpee residents can vote to pass or to deny the ballot question at the special town election on Saturday, October 26.

Other notable articles that passed include Article 10, to amend the town’s general bylaw governing excessive or unusual noises. The article passed with 212 votes in favor and 110 opposed. New subsections will be added, giving explicit guidance on construction, demolition and commercial landscaping activity (7 AM to 7 PM on weekdays, 8 AM to 7 PM otherwise, new section C), personal power yard or garden tools, leaf blowers, chain saw or similar mechanical devices (7 AM to 8 PM; new section D) and non-criminal disposition process for those who violate the bylaw.

There was also a proposed amendment to Section D of the warrant article made by resident Elana Doyle to amend the timeframe from 8 PM on weekends to 10 PM. The amendment was a close call with 182 to 189. It did not pass, so the timeframe for excessive noises on weekends remains 8 PM.

As currently written, the bylaw only pertains to noise created by radio, live or recorded music, amplified sounds and yelling or other boisterous noises. The changes before voters give the town guidelines to follow when receiving a complaint about noise coming from construction, demolition or landscaping activity.